"Dispel the Ninjutsu now!"
Tsunade materialized before Orochimaru in a burst of furious motion, the massive cross raised high. From the moment Orochimaru resurrected her grandfathers using the Impure World Reincarnation, he had crossed an unforgivable line. Tsunade was now fighting with the single-minded goal of crippling him and forcing the immediate release of the forbidden technique.
Her blow descended directly towards Orochimaru's head.
But just as the cross was about to connect, numerous large, complex trees erupted violently from the ground, intercepting the attack.
CRACK! BANG!
It was the sound of overwhelming force tearing through solid wood, not flesh. The suddenly grown barrier of trees was instantly shredded to splinters.
However, Orochimaru seized the fraction of a second the distraction provided and leapt backwards.
"Grandfather's Wood Release..."
Tsunade gritted her teeth. This was unmistakable proof of Hashirama Senju's signature technique.
"That was close," Orochimaru's husky voice drifted down from the canopy, a triumphant smile on his pale lips. "You truly surprised me, Princess Tsunade, but that must be your limit."
"..." Tsunade clenched her fist.
She had pushed her augmented body far beyond its natural limits, relying on the temporary boost from the Nine Rounds Acupuncture Technique. She was nearing exhaustion.
The First Hokage stood directly before Orochimaru, then performed a swift, intricate sequence of hand seals.
Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!
Countless trees surged from the earth, spreading and growing at a hyper-accelerated rate, instantly transforming the clearing into a dense, hostile forest.
While nowhere near the true, apocalyptic scale of Hashirama's power in life, the boundless Chakra available to the Edo Tensei body allowed the trees to grow wildly and endlessly, attacking Tsunade from every angle—pushing, twisting, constricting, and slamming.
Tsunade swung her cross wildly. No single tree could withstand the force, but as soon as one was felled, another immediately took its place, growing back at blinding speed.
The regenerative cycle is too fast!
"No, my energy consumption cannot keep up with this output."
Tsunade gulped another healing draught, but the breathless exhaustion remained. She could theoretically fight through to Orochimaru, but the two undying bodies were perfectly positioned to defend him.
"Princess Tsunade, if you have no other tricks, you should surrender," Orochimaru's muffled voice echoed through the wooden maze. "We were once comrades. Even if you want to kill me, I would not allow harm to come to you."
"Boring platitudes!"
Tsunade let out a cold, furious scream, abandoning all restraint.
She focused her Chakra, allowing the Yin Seal on her forehead to dissolve, the black lines flowing down her face.
Yin Seal: Release!
All of her accumulated Chakra exploded outward, generating a violent, visible air current.
She charged at Orochimaru with renewed, overwhelming force.
ROAR.
She moved like a colossal boulder rolling down a mountainside, ripping and demolishing every tree in her path.
Orochimaru's mocking ceased. He immediately clasped his index and middle fingers, commanding the Second Hokage to engage.
But Tobirama Senju arrived late, and Orochimaru's eyes widened in profound astonishment.
Because—
The Second Hokage's body bore a massive wound that was sizzling and emitting white smoke, as if on fire.
The regeneration process had almost entirely halted.
"What is going on!?"
Orochimaru involuntarily recoiled, goosebumps rising on his pale skin. This body is immortal!
Simultaneously, Tsunade burst free from the sea of trees and witnessed the damage inflicted upon the Second Hokage.
That is where the cross hit him!
The shocking truth slammed into her: the attack she had landed while activating her Cross skill had been infused with Holy Light energy!
Shen Mo smiled faintly from above. She finally figured it out.
Holy Light was not merely a passive healing tool; Paladins were fundamentally combat units. While Tsunade hadn't yet learned the Holy Light Infusion skill—which would empower every basic attack—the raw energy itself had a profound, destructive effect on the Edo Tensei bodies.
"So that is the truth... the true nature of the Holy Light," Tsunade realized, feeling the divine energy bloom in her heart, looking at the weapon in her hand. "Exorcising evil, relieving pain, maintaining hope and order... The perverse resurrection of the dead, like the Impure World Reincarnation, is an abomination to the Holy Light."
Her gaze hardened further. She was not merely a ninja fighting a former comrade; carrying the Holy Light, she had become a Crusader, imbued with a sense of righteous duty.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade channeled the Holy Light directly into her cross, fixing Orochimaru with a cold, condemning glare. "You are cursing the dead and toying with souls! This evil, disrespectful blasphemy will not stand!"
The silver cross radiated a solemn, sacred aura, influenced by her profound moral conviction.
Orochimaru was visibly frustrated. He instinctively closed his eyes against the powerful, radiant energy.
Tsunade moved instantly, appearing before the First Hokage. She raised the cross and slammed it down, causing the ground to crack and form a massive fissure.
Then, she used her free hand to parry the First Hokage's counter-attack.
Where the Holy Light touched, a sizzling sound erupted, like flesh burning. The two resurrected bodies shrieked, their faces contorted in pain.
Tsunade looked at her grandfather's suffering face, a sharp pang of pity hitting her.
But that pain only fueled her wrath. Orochimaru!
Her eyes burned with anger, her glare locked onto Orochimaru, creating a terrifying aura amplified by Hashirama's unconscious screams.
Orochimaru could no longer laugh. For the first time, he regretted cornering Tsunade this way.
But he was even more staggered by her power.
"What catastrophic force! It shatters the resurrected body and makes the soul scream," Orochimaru whispered, clenching his fists. He stared at the shining Tsunade, his expression a complicated mix of fear, desperate desire, and utter hatred.
He felt it clearly: this white light was completely alien to Chakra—a new, formidable power.
But that sacred aura, that indefinable holiness, instantly triggered a primal fear within him. This power would never be his. He was a serpent, dwelling in the cold, damp dark; he would forever fear the searing sunlight and lack the wings of an eagle.
A wave of painful, complex emotion washed over Orochimaru.
The Second Hokage, recovering nearby, suddenly launched himself like a moth to a flame, seizing Tsunade's cross with a death grip.
His touch was like grasping a white-hot iron column.